Friends and Fathers

Father EJ Resinto and Father Alfred Omar Guerrero, ordained only a few years, chat about discovering the joys and challenges of their priesthood

By Anna Weaver
Hawaii Catholic Herald

The Hawaii Catholic Herald sat down with Father EJ Resinto and Father Alfred Omar Guerrero on the morning of July 18 to talk about their first years as Diocese of Honolulu priests.

Father Resinto, 31, is from Kauai. His home parish is Immaculate Conception, Lihue. After serving as parochial vicar at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church in Ewa Beach, he became the pastor of Sacred Heart Parish in Honolulu and chaplain of Maryknoll School in January. He was ordained in 2016.

Father Guerrero, 30, is from Oahu, and became the pastor of the Newman Center/Holy Spirit Parish at the University of Hawaii-Manoa in January after serving as parochial vicar at Our Lady of Good Counsel in Pearl City. He was ordained in 2017.

Both men followed a close timeline on their path to the priesthood, earning bachelor’s degrees from Mount Angel Seminary in Oregon and master’s degrees from St. Patrick Seminary and University in California, just a year apart from each other.

What follows is an edited and condensed version of the Herald’s conversation with both priests.

You’re both good friends. How long have you guys known each other?

Father Guerrero: Well, we’ve known each other since I was 13 and he was 14. We were on a vocation discernment retreat for the diocese. It was for middle school and high school and it was at St. Stephen Diocesan Center and we were roommates.

So at that point, you both knew that you probably had a vocation to the priesthood?

Father Guerrero: I wanted to be a priest since I was eight years old but I never knew that we would end up in the seminary a few years later after high school. Because in high school my plans changed. In high school, I didn’t want to be a priest after junior and senior year. I wanted to be a forensic pathologist.

Father Resinto: I became an altar server at seven years old. So that desire or at least thoughts of becoming a priest started there. I always enjoyed serving at the liturgies, also just interacting with the priests, looked up to them and saw them as great guys, human guys as well. Our family was very close to one pastor in particular and so we’d see them at my aunty’s house, knowing them as father but also just seeing them kind of relaxed and at the pool and all those kinds of stuff.

Throughout high school, I remained active at the parish altar serving, youth group, Boy Scouts, choir, and then, after confirmation, becoming a lector.

A lot of people, family friends, even just parishioners, would say, “Oh you’d be a good priest.” But it wasn’t until after high school that it came to fruition.

Father Guerrero: For me, people affirming “You’d be a good priest,” or that kind of thing, in a sense they were planting those seeds too while I was growing up.

Father Resinto: Now I know that the family in general had always wanted a priest in the family. Secretly I think they were praying for it. I know for certain of some aunts [on my mom’s Portuguese side] who prayed for it. And I know my great grandparents always spoke about them wanting a priest in the family. And it wasn’t until a couple of generations later that their prayers and their desires came through me of all people. [laughing]

Father Guerrero: My family wasn’t as religious when we were growing up. I do remember as a kid my mom bringing us to church in the cathedral. And then when I was a little older I brought myself to church. That’s where I got involved in altar serving, etc. It was kind of like my second home. My parents were always working. It wasn’t until after my mom died that I found out that she really had a devotional life. I found her prayer books, her rosary beads.

You both ended up being at the seminary at the same time.

Father Guerrero: When we first entered the seminary, there were about six or seven of us from Hawaii. [Recently ordained Father Vincent Vu and Father Romple Emwalu were a few years behind.] The four of us have a strong bond. We got together last week Thursday at Sacred Heart. The last two years we’ve tried to get together on the feast of St. Benedict [Mount Angel Seminary is Benedictine]. We spent time in prayer and then had a dinner and just kind of hung out.

Looking back a few years to your diaconate and priestly ordinations, what stands out to you about those days?

Father Resinto: At my diaconate ordination I saw all of my worlds colliding together because I had my family, I had a bunch of my seminarian classmates who came out, I had the church parish family, but then there was also the other parishes where I did ministry during seminary. Then I had my high school friends, my childhood friends who came. It just was affirming to know, wow, all this love and support that has been given to me to come to this point. I was an emotional wreck at my diaconate ordination, just overwhelmed.

I remember it very, very clearly to this day. One of the priests that did my retreat beforehand said, “Ask for a grace to remember something.” And the one thing that I really remember in my diaconate ordination was when I was laying prostrate and there was just this feeling of being like rocked, a comforting feeling. And I remember thinking, “This is the moment.”

That moment stays with me even until today when the going gets tough, and I’ve got to make tough decisions and I get stressed out and whatnot. I try to relive that moment. It gives me consolation.

Before my priesthood ordination, I remember just being happy that the day finally came. I was having nightmares the few weeks before that I forgot my shoes. So that was the one thing that I had to make sure I had my shoes. My priesthood ordination was at the cathedral. Because Damien is my patron and my chosen confirmation name, and knowing the fact that I might have been laying where he was laying during his ordination, just words cannot even speak about that.

Father Guerrero: Like Father EJ, my diaconate ordination was the most emotional day or a moving day for me, more than my priestly ordination.

Both ordinations were at the co-cathedral, my home parish. I was a little boy serving in this church and here I am now. I’m the one laying on the floor giving my life to God and his people. That was very, very emotional. I think I was most emotional when I embraced my sister and my aunt and uncle because both of my parents had died. Ordination is a big deal, like a wedding date. And so I remembered my parents who died at that moment.

And for my priestly ordination I felt really connected to all the priests that were there and this wider ministry. I felt like, I’m not alone in this. I have brothers that will help me, that I can ask for guidance and stuff like that.

Father Guerrero: The laying of hands was also powerful.

Father Resinto: That’s what I remembered from my priestly ordination. There were just certain priests where there was just this rush that came over me. I definitely knew when Father Lio Faletoi put his hands on me. [laughing]

Father Guerrero: [also laughing] his hands cover your whole head!

I do agree that there’s some sort of “mana” or power that comes through that laying of the hands, and it brings me back to the Scriptures when the apostles laid hands on the deacons and after that they became full of zeal and power to go out and preach God’s word and do ministry.

In your first two and three years of priesthood, has there been a moment where it really kicked in that you were a priest now?

Father Guerrero: Moments of realizing “I’m a priest,” early on were when people, just out of the blue, are seeking counsel. I was like, “Lord, am I really prepared for this?” These are people in crisis that are seeking your guidance and you’re the one, you represent Christ for them. And that was enough. That’s what it means to be a priest, to be radically available and to just show up and to be Christ for them.

Father Resinto: It just feels right. And so it’s not really until the end of the day, before I go to bed, that I kind of reflect in my prayers how God was present in my life and how I made him present throughout the day. These moments will come up, “Oh I helped this person.” And it will also come up, “Oh, Father EJ, you weren’t very Christlike in these ways.” I try to do that type of examen every night, where I’ve lived out my vocation and where tomorrow I can try again.

Celebrating the sacraments and confession reaffirms my vocation.

You’re both new pastors, having taken on that role in January. What’s the biggest change being a pastor compared to a parochial vicar?

Father Resinto: It’s been very challenging. Being a pastor of a parish is one thing. But being a pastor of the biggest school in the diocese has definitely been challenging on me in my prayer life. It’s difficult because sometimes you feel very inadequate in the gifts of your administration.

It’s not like when you’re a parochial vicar and you can just kind of go along with the flow and everybody loves you. And you know you’re saying Masses and your blessing houses and you’re baptizing babies and you’re having lunch with people and life is good. As a pastor, there is more responsibility and people look up to you. It’s just a different dynamic and a different relationship. And so having all of this on one plate is a lot. The last six months has definitely challenged me in ways that have been affirmative but also very critical, particularly with the school.

Father Guerrero: Seminary doesn’t prepare you for things like, “Your landlord’s school [Saint Francis] is closing and that’ll affect you.” Your parish church sits on a property that you don’t own. It’s a university ministry but also a parish in and of itself. Seminary doesn’t prepare you fully for budgets and the challenge of creating a culture of stewardship.

Like Father EJ said, our relationship in the parish is different than a parochial vicar. As a parochial priest, you’re a baby priest and people love you. But now as a pastor, well you have to make decisions there. You cannot say, “Oh, go talk to the pastor.” Well, you are the pastor, you’re the decision-maker and people have a different relationship with you.

I think having a lot of good pastor-mentors in the diocese has prepared me for this. I draw from their experiences in my decision-making, how I run the parish, or how I take care of the parish or my own spiritual life.

Father Resinto: Father Ed Barut was my first pastor and to this day I still text him or give him a call.

Definitely having a good support system from your brother priests is important. We have an unofficial support group where four or five or six of us get together several times a month just to watch a movie, veg out for an hour and a half, get away from the parish, have a nice lunch or dinner and just kind of share with each other our challenges. [laughing] The majority of our conversations about challenges are budget-related.

I think it’s something we should look into as a diocese having ongoing workshops for new pastors on specific topics like budget and dealing with employment stuff. I was sharing with another priest classmate on the mainland that somedays I feel more like a businessman than I do a priest. That’s one of the struggles and challenges to keep up your priestly identity and your prayer life, to remind yourself that you are still a priest.

Father Guerrero: It’s nice having Father EJ just down the road at Sacred Heart. We can take care of each other and we can go to visit with each other.

 

Did you have this weeklong Camino de Santiago pilgrimage (a walking pilgrimage to the shrine of the Apostle James in Spain), which you two went on in June, planned before you became pastors?

Father Guerrero: It was an idea I had. After we became pastors, we thought it would be too busy to go away from the parish. But it was very providential because I think we needed to retreat and to pray.

We didn’t go through a tour group. We just planned on our own, reading tour guide books and blogs, watching YouTube videos. We had some parishioners who had done the pilgrimage come and talk to us.

We were gone about 10 days. The walk itself was six days, 117 kilometers or about 72 miles, along the “French route.”

Father Resinto: And one of the things that’s amazing on the Camino is you can go for miles and miles and miles without seeing anyone or any civilization. All you see is fields, mountains, meadows, and it just allows you to connect with God through nature. For me at least there were some moments that I would just get lost in it, in my thoughts and my prayer. And there were some places where I actually forgot that [Father Guerrero] was with me.

Father Guerrero: THANKS!

Father Resinto: And then you come to and go, “Where was I?” You were in prayer.

Father EJ handled the logistics and I am eternally grateful. He kept me motivated. You know even if it was one more hour, one more mile … you can do it.

Were there particular moments on the walk that stood out to you?

Father Guerrero: For me, the second day was the toughest. It was mostly going uphill and it was pouring rain. I think we both reflected, “Should we give up? What are we doing?” We were not prepared for the rain. We had these 99 cent ponchos from Walmart. But by the end of that day the sun came out and we were able to just relax.

Father Resinto: For me it was the town of Monte do Gozo, this small village that’s the last stop before going into Compostela. You can literally see the cathedral spires of St. James from the hilltop there. That was a very moving moment when we got to the monument. We walked around separately for a while. I was just looking around and reflecting and saying, “Oh my God, I actually did this!” We decided to stay overnight in that little town so we could walk early in the morning into Compostela.

Father Guerrero: From all these centuries, all these pilgrims have come to this point, Monte do Gozo, and seen that, and that was just breathtaking.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BzDhQtynH2o/

You both documented parts of your pilgrimage on Instagram. How do you use social media as an evangelization tool?

Father Guerrero: I resisted using Instagram for a long time. I just didn’t want to be trendy. But there was a young adult at Our Lady of Good Counsel who said, “Father, you should do a priestagram.” And so that got me thinking. Okay, well if I am to make saints, that’s basically why I became a priest. If I want to become a saint and then lead others to become saints, social media could be another platform in which I can do that, share that the life of a priest is normal. It’s an awesome life. It’s not just boring and we’re always in study. But we do normal things. And I wanted to show or portray that through my Instagram, or my priestagram if you will. Hashtag #fatherhood.

Father Resinto: I think I’ve been on Instagram since my first year of theology. At first it was to connect to friends and family. Now I do see it as a way of evangelization. It has to have some kind of meaning to me. So if it’s meaningful to me, then it’s probably meaningful for others.

I see the benefits of having social media as a way to see “Oh, Father does have fun. Father does go to the beach or go on a hike. Father does have a little glass of wine or beer now and then. Father does have friends!”

Changing topics, how has the recent resurgence in reports of sexual abuse by priests in the U.S. affected you?

Father Guerrero: I mean it was a terrible thing that happened in the life in the church and for these young people. It has shaken me as a priest. Made me angry, sad, even discouraged. If I didn’t have the support of brother priests and lay people, to encourage me to keep going, then I don’t think I’d be here today as a priest.

I think more than ever there’s more support from parishioners.

Father Resinto: From my parishioners, it’s been, “Father, something needs to be done.” We all agree with that. Something does need to be done because of these heinous crimes that have happened, especially against children. But what I’ve seen is people are still coming to church and that just shows the faith of all the people. Priesthood is important, but their faith is in God.

And you know like for me, I don’t want to brag about it but I’ve seen an increase in Mass attendance. I brought this up on Easter Sunday, and I said, “You know, despite all of the horrible things happening in the church, you’re still showing up.”

Like Father Alfred, I’m angry, I’m hurt, I’m discouraged, and I’m afraid. For two or three weeks after the news first broke, I didn’t wear my collar, because I was ashamed of who or what this represents [pointing to his clerical collar.]

But you know there’s hope still. People are still coming. Some people have left and they have every right to. I said that one Sunday, “You have every right to leave if you want to, but just remember that the church is, yes, made up of men, but she’s also glorified too and has a plan.”

To end this on a lighter note, what have been some of your happiest moments in your first two/three years of priesthood?

Father Guerrero: I felt happiest just hanging out with people, just being with them and being who you are as a priest to them. I felt very, very happy and satisfied.

Father Resinto: As much as a challenge as the school can be, my happiest moments are when I’m at the school. And so you know, when I’m having a hard day at the office or there’s drama of some sort going on, I’ll just take a walk through the schoolyard and that just changes my mood. Just to have fun with the kids, kick soccer balls around with them, it can change your day completely and you forget about the problems.

Father Guerrero: My first parish I served at had a school and I would often go to the schoolyard and that’s where I drew joy and happiness and energy. The kids are your biggest fans.

Any final thoughts?

Father Resinto: It’s a joy and a privilege to serve in the capacity that we serve.

Father Guerrero: And I would also say it’s an adventure.

Father Resinto: Yes!

Father Guerrero: There’s never a dull moment.

Father Resinto: For the most part every day is a ritual. But then things can come in and you just have to be ready to jump. And that’s the most fun and the most adventurous, whether it’s somebody coming in for a meeting or coming in for some kind of crisis, being available to them. Or it’s the 2 o’clock in the morning hospital call. It breaks your day and your mindset but that’s kind of good for you.

Father Guerrero: If you’re a bored priest then you’re not really living your full potential. There are so many things you could do to fill your day. You could go and cut grass like the new landscaping ministry we started here at the Newman Center. Or how I learned to change out a toilet in my seminary summer assignment in Kona. And so you have to do those things. Pick up a broom and sweep, wash dishes, or go cut the grass.

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A post shared by Alfred Omar Guerrero (@fralfred808)

Fun Facts

• You can follow both priests on Instagram. Father Resinto is under the handle @frresinto7916 and Father Guerrero is under @fralfred808.
• Father Guerrero’s full first name is Alfred Omar (not just Alfred) and Father Resinto’s first name is EJ. It’s not an abbreviation though his parents picked the letters to stand for Eddie Jr. after Father Resinto’s father.